Archive
Line of Duty Death Deputy Sheriff William Charles “Charley” Coen
Reserve Deputy Sheriff
William Charles “Charley” Coen
Harper County Sheriff’s Office, Oklahoma
End of Watch: Sunday, June 10, 2012
Bio & Incident Details
Age: 57
Tour: 1 year
Badge # Not available
Cause: Automobile accident
Incident Date: 6/10/2012
Weapon: Not available
Suspect: Not available
Reserve Deputy Charley Coen was killed in a single-vehicle crash shortly after midnight while responding to an emergency assistance call in Laverne.
He was traveling on Highway 64, about two miles west of Buffalo, when his Dodge Charger patrol car left the roadway on a curve and struck several large hay bales. The collision caused him to become trapped in the vehicle as the it caught fire. It took rescue crews three hours to extricate Deputy Coen from the vehicle.
Deputy Coen had graduated from the academy exactly one year prior to the crash.
Please contact the following agency to send condolences or to obtain funeral arrangements:
Sheriff Marty Drew
Harper County Sheriff’s Office
311 SE 1st Street
Buffalo, OK 73834
Phone: (580) 735-2213
Lee County deputy School Resource Officer of the Year
Lee County AL June 13 2012 Deputy Cpl. Pamela Revels has been selected as the nation’s 2012 School Resource Officer of the Year and was recognized by the Lee County Commission for her accomplishment.
“This is not an Alabama thing, or a Southeastern thing, this is a nationwide award she received,” said Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones, who introduced her at Monday’s meeting.
The award recognizes a law enforcement officer who demonstrates superior leadership and extraordinary commitment to the school resource officer mission of service to young people in education environments.
She was presented the award by the WeTip organization at their 36th annual National Crime Fighting Conference in California in April.
Revels has worked with the sheriff’s office since 2004 serving in the Lee County School System. She had been named Exchange Club of Opelika’s 2007 Deputy of the Year and Veterans of Foreign Wars’ 2010 Deputy of the Year.
source-oanow.com
St Louis firefighter sue over pension issues www.privateofficer.com
St. Louis IL June 13 2012 – The Trustees of the Firemen’s Retirement System of St. Louis filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the City of St. Louis over pension issues.
The six-count suit seeks a temporary restraining order, injunction and declaratory judgement against the city.
A spokesman for the firefighters says in a release that the lawsuit is meant to stop attempts by the city to change the structure of, or take control of, the Firemen’s Retirement System and to discontinue the accrual of current benefits to St. Louis Firefighters in violation of Missouri state statutes and the U.S. and Missouri Constitutions.
Members of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen met Tuesday morning to look at the firefighters’ pension reform bill during a meeting inside St. Louis City Hall.
For months, St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay has been calling for changes to the fire department’s pension system. A bill that the mayor is behind, states the fire department’s retirement fund has increased more than 500 percent since 2001
Currently, if changes are made to the pension, it has to be approved by state lawmakers. Mayor Slay is trying to change that, pushing for local control. The union representing the fire department has said they are willing to make cuts to the pension system, but strongly disagree with the mayor’s plan. The union is against local control.
At a police board meeting Monday, Mayor Slay said if significant changes are made to the firefighters’ retirement system, 30 police officer positions slated to be cut, will be restored.
Alderman Antonio French called the move on Twitter a “stunt.”
The bill is supposed to be voted on Friday.
Source: KSDK
Police: Woman In Security Uniform Used Stolen Card www.privateofficer.com
BEECH GROVE, Ind.June 13 2012 – Beech Grove police are searching for a woman in a security guard uniform who they said used a stolen credit card.
A woman reported her car broken into and her purse stolen in the 3200 block of South Emerson Avenue on May 12.
The next day, the stolen credit card was used by a woman dressed in a security guard uniform at the Speedway gas station at 105 W. Churchman Ave. in Beech Grove.
Anyone who recognizes the woman is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 317-262-TIPS.
Dubuque park patrol officers find dead body www.privateofficer.com
The Dubuque County sheriff’s office says park patrol officers found James Hopkins’ body on Monday about four to five miles south of Massey Marina south of Dubuque. An autopsy is pending.
Hopkins was last seen around 3:30 a.m. Saturday, fishing from shore. He’d been camping with relatives at Massey Marina Park.
The sheriff’s office says family members reported Hopkins had been drinking and that his clothes were found near his fishing spot.
EARLIER STORY
DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — Authorities have released the name of a 30-year-old man believed missing in the Mississippi River south of Dubuque.
The Dubuque County Sheriff’s Office identified him as James Hopkins, of Dubuque.
Several agencies have been searching since Hopkins was reported missing. Authorities say he was last seen around 3:30 a.m. Saturday, fishing from shore. He’d been camping with relatives at Massey Marina Park.
The sheriff’s office says family members reported Hopkins had been drinking and that his clothes were found near his fishing spot.
Source:wcfcourier.com
Pilots worry about too many drones flying over US www.privateofficer.com
Washington DC June 13 2012 – Congress is asking for more drones in U.S. skies but yesterday’s crash on Maryland’s eastern shore has raised concerns in the aviation industry.
A one hundred million dollar military drone went down yesterday.
The Federal Aviation Administration is working on rules to allow more to fly over the U.S., but pilots are worried it could cause mid-air crashes.
The people operating the drones can be hundreds, or thousands of miles away and may not have the experience to make a decision if they were placed in a tough situation.
Another fear is that the unmanned aircraft could be high jacked by computer hackers
.
Last year a drone crashed into an aircraft in Afghanistan.
The congressional research service says unmanned aircraft have a far high rates of crashes than manned aircraft.
Source: WTVR
St. Charles County teacher arrested for child porn www.privateofficer.com
Matt Hansen, 38, of Winfield, has been teaching math to seventh-graders in the Fort Zumwalt School District in St. Charles County since 2004 but is now on administrative leave pending the outcome of the police investigation.
District Superintendent Bernard DuBray said he was told of the charges against Hansen by a detective with the St. Charles County cyber crimes unit. No district students have been connected to the child pornography allegedly found on Hansen’s computer, DuBray said, although the investigation is continuing.
Hansen was taken into custody in Van Buren County, Iowa, on June 3 after he threatened to jump off a cellular tower, according to the Ottumwa Courier newspaper. He was talked into climbing down and later waived an extradition hearing.
He was returned to Missouri on Friday.
Source:www.stltoday.com
Undercover NYPD officer indicted for manslaughter in fatal shooting of unarmed teen www.privateofficer.com
A Bronx grand jury has voted first- and second-degree manslaughter counts against Officer Richard Haste, a four-year NYPD veteran, for the Feb. 2 shooting of 18-year-old Ramarley Graham.
The shooting of Graham, who was black, in his Wakefield home sparked accusations of racial bias and overaggressive policing.
Haste, who is white, has been on modified duty since the incident. He faces up to 25 years in prison.
The Bronx DA’s Office argued that Haste, 30, not only didn’t follow NYPD procedure but also committed criminal acts when he opened fire, sources said.
The shooting led to an outcry in Wakefield and prompted comparisons to the Trayvon Martin shooting in Florida.
Police Commissioner Ray Kelly even paid his respects to Graham’s grieving family.
Cops assigned to an undercover street narcotics unit had noticed Graham on the street that day and thought he was carrying a gun in his waistband in the moments before the incident.
Haste and other cops followed him into his second-floor apartment on East 229th Street and burst into the bathroom, where he was hiding.
That’s when Haste shot Graham, who had a small amount of marijuana and was apparently trying to flush it down the toilet.No gun was recovered.
The NYPD later acknowledged Haste did not receive the required training to operate in a plainclothes street-narcotics unit.
“The facts in this case will demonstrate that this police officer believed that he was pursuing an armed felon who bolted rather than be caught with an illegal gun,” said Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association President Pat Lynch. “We believe that this officer will be exonerated.”
Sgt. Scott Morris, Haste’s superviser, remains on modified duty and faces internal NYPD charges, sources said.
Graham’s mother, Constance Malcolm, said she’ll host a vigil for her son on Thursday.
“We’ll be heard,” she said.
Source:nypost
Guard says he was fired from bar over police call www.privateofficer.com
SANTA ANA, Calif. June 13 2012—A security guard has filed a lawsuit claiming he was fired from a Southern California bar over his opposition to a call made to police about a homeless man who died after a brutal confrontation with authorities.
Michael Reeves sued in Orange County Superior Court on Friday alleging that a supervisor at Fullerton’s Slidebar Rock-n-Roll Kitchen called police July 5 and falsely claimed that Kelly Thomas was breaking into cars in the parking lot when in reality he was picking up cigarette butts.
Reeves claimed Slidebar employees had been told to do “whatever it takes” to keep the homeless man away.
Reeves said he lost work privileges and was fired in September after he stood up to the supervisor who made the call and spoke with a district attorney’s investigator about it. He is seeking at least $4 million in damages, according to a copy of the lawsuit obtained on Tuesday.
Eric Dubin, an attorney for Slidebar, said the allegations are false and Reeves was fired for becoming confrontational with a manager in front of bar customers.
Dubin said Reeves was not within earshot of the Slidebar employee who called police that night and said the former employee didn’t mention any concern about the incident until he recently started seeking money from them.
Fullerton police officers responded on July 5 to the call about Thomas and stopped him at a nearby transit hub in what started out as a conversation and escalated into a bloody confrontation. Thomas, who suffered from schizophrenia, was taken away by paramedics and died five days later.
His death stoked an outcry by residents, the recall of three councilmembers, an internal and FBI investigations and criminal charges against two of the officers.
Source:MecuryNews.com
Florida man arrested for attacking bouncer after being asked to leave www.privateofficer.com
Collier County Fla June 13 2012 Sheriff’s deputies arrested a 33-year-old man early Sunday after they say he attacked a bouncer who asked him to leave the Captain’s Cabin bar.
Joshua Robert Briggs, of the 1700 block of 55th Terrace Southwest, Golden Gate, is facing charges of battery and disorderly intoxication.
Around 2 a.m., Briggs was sitting at the bar when Captain’s Cabin security asked him several times to leave, according to an arrest report. Briggs said the bouncer would have to carry him out to get him to leave, according to witnesses.
When the bouncer placed his hand on Briggs’ shoulder in an effort to escort him out, Briggs shoved him, charged at him and knocked him to the ground. Another bar employee joined the fracas, and he and the bouncer were eventually able to restrain Briggs until deputies arrived.
Brigg’s speech was slurred, his eyes were bloodshot and he appeared intoxicated, deputies said. While being booked into the Naples Jail Center, Briggs told deputies he knows several prominent local attorneys and the at he’d “be out of here in an hour and a half.”
He was still in custody Monday afternoon.
source-naplenews.com
College Park police officers accused of forcing prostitutes to have sex www.privateofficer.com
COLLEGE PARK, GA June 13 2012 - A College Park police officer has quit and another is still on the force after prostitutes alleged having sex with them to have their cases dropped.
Former Officer Horace Roberts, of College Park, resigned from the force in April after College Park police investigators attempted to question him about the allegations. Roberts told CBS Atlanta News that he had no inappropriate relationships with any prostitute and resigned from the force because of stress.
Officer Marcus Dennard, of Fayetteville, is still assigned to the department’s Special Operations division after the department investigated and closed the case.
According to a city of College Park police complaint, Jessica Flournoy, 23, and Jenny Clementi, 29, claimed Roberts and Dennard requested sexual favors in return for their charges related to prostitution to be dropped.
The complaint reads, “After an arrest, she started seeing him (Dennard) on a regular basis.” Fluornoy claimed Dennard visited her eight times and told her that she would be taken care of if anything happened.
According to the complaint, “She stated that there was no set price for the sex but that he paid her anywhere from $30 to $70 each time for her services.”
Clementi claimed Roberts made sexual advances and exchanged numbers with her. Police reported that it was verified by checking Clementi’s phone.
Clementi also stated that after she had sex with Dennard, he told her he would not show up in court and have her case dropped.
According to court records, the charges were dismissed after Dennard stated that video evidence he intended to use to prosecute Clementi could not be found.
According to the complaint, Dennard failed a voice stress test on two relevant questions about whether he had sex with prostitutes. The results of a subsequent polygraph came back inconclusive. Dennard admitted to using certain techniques to show the test inconclusive.
Source:CBSATLANTA
Ten arrested in protest outside Jerry Brown’s office www.privateofficer.com
Sacramento CA June 13 2012 Ten protesters were detained outside Gov. Jerry Brown’s office Tuesday, injecting some drama into a day of hearings and closed-door meetings on the state budget.
The protesters were criticizing Brown’s proposal to cut spending on home care for the elderly and disabled. They were arrested for blocking the governor’s office, according to the California Highway Patrol, which provides security in the Capitol.
Chants echoed down the Capitol hallways, but the arrests seem to have been handled in an orderly fashion. Two officers led away each protester. One protester in a wheelchair was wheeled away.
Brown has proposed saving $225 million from the In-Home Supportive Services program through cuts that include a 7% reduction in hours of care. The cut would have a ripple effect because counties and the federal government would withdraw matching funds, leading to a total reduction of about $800 million.
Advocates say the program is an important way to keep people out of expensive nursing homes, and Laphonza Butler, president of SEIU United Long-Term Care, said it has already suffered too many budget cuts.
“Any more cuts to this program would endanger people’s lives,” she said.
Source:LA Times
Saks Fifth Avenue LP agent injured by shoplifter www.privateofficer.com
Town of Woodbury police Sgt. Cliff Weeks said at around 4:45 p.m. a man was attempting to steal a pair of jeans, a couple of shirts and shorts from Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th when a lost prevention officer attempted to arrest him outside the store. That’s when the suspect, despite being handcuffed around his wrist by the officer, gave him several deep bites and cuts, then ran off.
The loss prevention officer was taken to Cornwall Regional Medical Center in Cornwall for his injuries.
Weeks said police have crucial evidence from the scene to help identify the suspect and an investigation is continuing.
Secuirty stops on-duty police officer with gun at Albany airport www.privateofficer.com
The handgun, a .22-caliber Derringer, was detected as the bag passed through the checkpoint X-ray machine, a spokeswoman for the Transportation Security Administration said.
The passenger, bound for Chicago’s Midway Airport, was able to continue on his flight after leaving the airport to “secure the firearm,” the TSA said.
Weapons, including firearms, aren’t allowed in carry-on baggage, the TSA said.
Some may be permitted in checked baggage, but passengers should check both local laws and with their airline before packing.
The incident didn’t affect airport operations, the TSA said.
Source:www.timesunion.com
Police raid horse ranches that were fronts for Mexican Cartel www.privateofficer.com
OKLAHOMA CITY OK June 13 2012 – Federal agents raided a sprawling ranch in Oklahoma and a prominent quarter horse track in New Mexico on Tuesday, alleging the brother of a high-ranking official in a Mexican drug cartel used a horse-breeding operation to launder money.
An indictment unsealed Tuesday accused Miguel Angel Trevino Morales, a key figure in the Zetas drug operation, of setting up a horse operation that a younger brother operated from a ranch near Lexington, Okla., south of Oklahoma City. Millions of dollars went through the operation, which bought, trained, bred and raced quarter horses throughout the southwest United States, including the famed Ruidoso Downs track in New Mexico.
“This case is a prime example of the ability of Mexican drug cartels to establish footholds in legitimate U.S. industries and highlights the serious threat money laundering causes to our financial system,” said Richard Weber, the chief of the IRS’ criminal investigation unit.
Seven of the 14 people indicted were arrested, including Jose Trevino Morales and his wife, Zulema. Another Trevino brother was also charged.
Prosecutors asked that no bond be set for Trevino fearing he would either flee or intimidate witnesses. He declined to comment at the courthouse.
The indictment describes how the Trevino brothers and a network quietly arranged to purchase quarter horses with drug money at auction and disguise the source of the funds used to buy them so that the Zetas’ involvement would be masked. They would often pay in cash, or use fake names, which helped keep the owners and the money a secret.
Since 2008, the operation racked up millions of dollars in transactions in New Mexico, Oklahoma, California and Texas, prosecutors said.
The operation, Tremor Enterprises LLC, started small, but worked in plain sight. Some horses carried names with drug references, like Coronita Cartel. Over time, the horses and the operation earned a place on some of the most elite stages in the industry. One horse named Mr. Piloto won a $1 million prize at Ruidoso Downs on Labor Day; another named Tempting Dash won the Dash for Cash at Lone Star Park race track in Grand Prairie, Texas.
The New York Times (http://nyti.ms/KqFFiY) first reported the raids and the alleged connection to the Zetas cartel on its website earlier Tuesday, citing a months-long investigation and several anonymous sources.
The Zetas are one of Mexico’s two most powerful drug cartels, with a reputation for being its most ruthless and willing to commit atrocities. The cartel was blamed for the 2010 massacre of 72 Central American migrants in the Texas border state of Tamaulipas, the dumping of 49 mutilated bodies on a Texas-bound highway in the state of Nuevo Leon, and a series of smaller group killings. The cartel is also accused of funneling millions of dollars to politicians and law-enforcement officials in Tamaulipas in a case currently under investigation by federal authorities in the U.S.
During the raids Tuesday, dozens of federal agents swarmed the New Mexico race track, wearing bulletproof vests and collecting evidence. At least two horses were taken away. The federal government seeks the seizure of several horses, claiming they were used to further a crime. Among those sought was Mr. Piloto.
A raid also was conducted at the ranch about 40 miles south of Oklahoma City. At least a half-dozen agents wearing fatigues and baseball caps emblazoned with FBI were still at the ranch early in the afternoon.
The director of the Oklahoma Quarter Horse Racing Association said Jose Trevino showed up a few years ago and quickly earned a reputation for always paying his bills and shelling out handsome prices for some of the top horses in the country.
“They were also recognized for taking care of their business. They paid their bills and didn’t cause any trouble. You didn’t have a food vendor or veterinarian calling to say they couldn’t get these guys to pay their bills. They were good citizens in the horse industry,” Debbie Schauf said.
She said it was common for buyers based out of the country to pay cash for horses, but that several transactions were noteworthy for their value.
“It didn’t raise a lot of eyebrows when these guys came to the sales and started paying cash. What raised eyebrows was the quality of the horses they were buying and the amount of money these mares cost,” Schauf said.
Shaun Hubbard, general manager of the Ruidoso Downs Race Track and Casino, said the track officials know little about the raid but they are cooperating with federal authorities.
Telephone messages left Tuesday at the ranch in Lexington were not immediately returned.
Source:azcentral.com
Mays Landing man accused of robbing Atlantic Club casino visitors at gunpoint www.privateofficer.com
Atlantic City NJ June 13 2012 A Mays Landing man is in jail after he robbed a couple from Mechanicsburg, Pa., at gunpoint Sunday afternoon in their room at the Atlantic Club Casino Hotel, police said.
William R. Holmes, 42, faces two counts of armed robbery as well as burglary and weapons charges. No bail information was available Monday.
The couple, a 53-year-old man and a 34-year-old woman, were preparing to check out when a man with a gun forced his way into the room, police said.
The man ordered the couple to lie down on the bed, and bound their hands and feet, police said. The man took money and unspecified valuables, and warned them not to call police because “he had nothing to lose or live for,” police said.
The couple soon described the man to security and police, and Atlantic Club security and surveillance soon found a man fitting the description fleeing on foot northbound toward Providence Avenue, police said.
Police circulated a flier with the description, and a New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement investigator soon contacted police, naming Holmes.
The investigator said the man had been wanted by the DGE for a theft Friday at Showboat Casino Hotel, police said. Two days later, casino security found Holmes on their property and contacted the DGE, who interviewed Holmes, charged him with theft, and released him on a summons. He was identified in connection with the robbery only after he left. It was unclear what Holmes was alleged to have taken at Showboat.
Holmes was arrested at 1:45 p.m. Monday in Ventnor, and police said evidence from the hotel room robbery was located and confiscated.
Source:pressofac.com
Grand Teton Lodge security officer hospitalized after attack www.privateofficer.com
Jackson Hole WY June 13 2012 A Grand Teton Lodge Company security guard was hospitalized last week after being attacked and hit over the head with a blunt object – possibly a rock.
The unidentified guard was discovered when Grand Teton National Park rangers responded to the report of a loud party at the employee residential area of Jackson Lodge early Thursday morning.
Park Spokesperson Jackie Skaggs says the rangers provided emergency medical care to the man and transported him to St. John’s Medical Center.
Skaggs says there were several individuals who were at the party and rangers attempted to obtain information from them. However, she says nobody was able to give much information about the assault. Consequently , she says additional agencies have been called in to conduct an investigation into the details of the assault.
Crimestoppers has offered a reward of up to $1000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever was responsible for the attack.
Anyone with information about the incident may call the park at 739-3503, or they may contact Crimestoppers – anonymously if they choose – at 733-5148.
Source:jacksonholeradio.com
Suffolk lawmakers worried about privatizing security www.privateofficer.com
Suffolk NY June 13 2012 Some Suffolk lawmakers are worried about County Executive Steve Bellone’s plan to privatize social services security guards, saying they know little about the firm that will soon replace unionized workers.
Without legislative action, 21 guards at five county social service buildings will be let go June 30. Dreamland Security, the Bronx company that watches Suffolk’s nursing home and a health center, will take on the social service centers — but only through the end of August, when its existing contract expires.
The county expects bids on a new security contract to be returned this week. But at Monday’s human services committee meeting, legislators’ focused on the interim solution. Some of them expressed concern over whether the Dreamland guards were equipped to handle the sometimes higher level of turmoil at the centers.
“I don’t know anything about their track record and that’s a little disconcerting to me,” Legis. Lou D’Amaro (D-North Babylon) said of Dreamland.
Social Services Commissioner Gregory Blass acknowledged he wasn’t closely involved with the plan for the company to replace his guards. Bellone cut them as he saved 126 other “mission-critical” social service jobs from an inherited layoff list.
“We don’t know as much as we’d like on Dreamland,” Blass said, adding the company will tour the social services centers within the next two weeks.
Dreamland did not respond to a request for comment, but Bellone aides said a county official who has dealt with the firm in its capacity watching health department buildings would answer lawmakers’ questions Tuesday.
Budget and finance committee members will consider a bill Tuesday morning from Legis. Tom Muratore (R-Ronkonkoma) that restores the 21 social services guards through 2012. If passed, the measure goes to the full legislature next Tuesday.
Supporters of county guards say their lower-paid replacements won’t have the same stake or experience in protecting volatile social services centers serving the homeless and temporary-assistance applicants. Bellone’s office projects savings of about $600,000 a year with a private firm, as Suffolk faces a $530 million deficit through 2013.
“From our position, it’s a fiscal issue,” said Legis. DuWayne Gregory (D-Amityville).
But Legis. Edward P. Romaine (R-Center Moriches) questioned whether the savings will be that high, since the estimate is based on the contract rate Dreamland deemed too low to extend. And Legis. Kate M. Browning (WF-Shirley), who voted with Democrats on layoff revisions, said she won’t support privatization because guards have no opportunity to be rehired if county finances change, unlike others whose jobs are being eliminated.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” she said. “There’s a lot of answers we don’t have.”\
Source:newsday
